Team Namibia off to Dakar Youth Olympics
The first group of Team Namibia athletes departed Windhoek yesterday for the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, which will take place from 31 October to 13 November.
The Land of the Brave has fielded a 12-athlete contingent to compete in athletics, beach volleyball, beach wrestling, boxing, cycling, swimming and triathlon.
The Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC) released the athletes’ competition schedules last Sunday, with beach volleyball pair Robert Sinclair and Rene Steinkopff set to get the country’s campaign underway on Saturday.
The duo will begin their men’s preliminary round matches on the opening day, with their pool fixtures continuing on Sunday.
Swimming contingent
The country’s largest contingent is in swimming, with four athletes scheduled to compete across various distances from 1 to 6 November.
Madison Bergh, Roselinda Matyayi and Lorenzo Esterhuizen are set to take to the pool this Sunday.
Bergh will open her campaign in the women’s 400m freestyle, Matyayi in the women’s 200m backstroke and Esterhuizen in the men’s 100m butterfly. Nathan Bock will join them on 2 November when he contests the men’s 100m freestyle.
The quartet’s remaining programme features events across freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly, with the final swimming entries scheduled for 6 November.
Meanwhile, James Langford will represent the country in the men’s individual triathlon on 5 November.
Second-week action
The country’s beach wrestling representative, Lisias Shipopyeni, will compete in the men’s 60kg category on 7 November. His group-stage matches and a possible appearance in the final are scheduled for the same day.
Cyclists Bianca Nell and Mike Baartman will take to the road on 8 November in the women’s and men’s road races, respectively, before returning for the individual time trials on 10 November.
Boxer Kalenga Abraham is scheduled to begin his men’s 50kg campaign in the preliminary round on 8 November.
On the athletics track, Elkana Iileka will race in the men’s 200m, with his semi-final scheduled for 10 November and the final taking place later that day, should he qualify.
Historic African Games
The Dakar Youth Olympics will bring together around 2 700 young athletes representing more than 200 National Olympic Committees, marking the first Olympic sporting event to be hosted on African soil.
The competition will take place across Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly, with Namibia’s delegation led by chef de mission Maike Betts, a former Olympic rower.
In a message shared on its social media platforms yesterday, the NNOC wished the country’s representatives well as the first group departed for Senegal.
The Olympic body congratulated the 12 athletes on their selection and encouraged them to embrace the experience.
“We are behind you all the way, Team Namibia!” wrote the NNOC.
